The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-07-21
Congressman Grain Throws Hot
Shot Into Prohibition
Ranks.
Facts, Figures, Sarcasm, Satire
and Daring Invective Con-
tribute to a Magnlfi-
cent Effort.


of Hon. William Henry Grain last night,
will, after this, accuse him of being afraid
to say before the world just what he
thinks. He was bold and aggressive from
the very outset. Like the Irishman at
Donnybrook fair, he was "invitin' of some
galoon to step on the tail of his coat tails"
and "be jabers there was niver a man TO
do the steppin'."
Mr.. Grain was introduced by Hon.
Charles R. Gibson, and started out at
once to invite fight. He spoke in the
court house to an audience shat packed
the district court room to its fulles.
capacity, and the hallway was
crowded on the outside. Many there
we're who could not even get near enough
to get a chance to hear. A large number
of ladies were present, and everybody
listened to his superb talk witout the
slightest appearance of discomfort and
it was hot enough to make anybody sigh
for a refrigerator. The ladies were ap-
parently all interested, and so were the
prohibiti0nists.
Hon. j. V. Farwell made the remark COM
ing out of the hall that Mr.. Grain re-
minded him more of Ingersoll in his
style of oratory than any man he had
ever heard.
Mr.. Grain commenced by saying that he
was somewhat surprised to find so sober
people before him, after so many talks
about there being no sober people and no
ladies on the side in opposition to the
prohibition amendment. He appeared
before this audience in response to an
invitation to come and express his views
on the question which he, as Others, con-
sidered one of vital interest to the whole
country. He did not question the right
of preachers to teach that which their holy
mission directed. He did not question
the right of preachers to go out and
preach prohibition wherever they felt
inclined to do SO, but he did question
the good taste of those political
preachers who were going over
the country denouncing intemperance,
and who, at the same time, were intern
perate in their speeches and incorporate
in their criticisms of others who exercise
the right of free speech. He thought
temperance in all things, like consistency,
a bright Jewel. He was severe in his ar
raignment of the political preacher, who
left his pulpit to further an issue, and
made a good point that the empty pulpit
would, in It's good time, be greeted by
empty pews. He said this movement was
the result of fanaticism and bigotry, and
is the same old fight of know-nothingism
At the wigwam in Dallas he saw motto,
"America for Americans, and the English
language the only one to be spoken"
He alluded incidentally to some of the
anxious ones who were always barking at
chance to meet some one, who would
give them reputation as speakers. lie
said that he was not paying, just now,
very much attention to neophytes like
Taylor Moore, George Pendexter, Young,
Reagan and that class. His dealing was
with those who proposed to expound the
doctrines of prohibition, not with the
small fry following. Mr.. Herndon was
the / especial object of the speakers sar-
casm and satire. Mr.. HerndOn had said
that there were 100000 people engaged
in the saloon business, and that 100000,
600 were annually spent in the consump-
ton of alcoholic drinks.
The fallacy of this could be readily
shown by the census reports, which, giving
the total amount of population at 50,000,-
900, would, we're these figures true, make
nearly every sixteenth man a saloon
keeper. "Figures wont lie," the speaker
said, "but the people who put them to-
gether sometimes do"
Mr.. Grain was loaded with facts, and
read from letter of the commissioner of
internal revenue, showing that the report
for 1886 gives the total number of liquor
dealers of all kinds in the United States
at IA $40. -
After splitting Mr.. Herndon wide open
and broiling him over a red hot fire, Mr..
Grain then proceeded to pay his respects
to Mr.. John H. Reagan. He wondered
how it was that it has only been since
the last legislature thrt Mr.. Reagan has
Efound out SO many of the virtues of this
lbill, when only year ago he made a
lspeech in the house of representatives on
a bill relating to liquor licenses. Mr..
Reagan is great man, and has done q
great deal for his country, but, on the
, fother hand, it can be said that his country
has done great deal for him. He has
been an officer all his life, and, to his
credit be it said, he has filled every posi-
, ltion well, and he will fill the one to which
[ he is now to go with the same degree of
fidelity, but at the same time he should
, mot forget that, on the question
Enow before the people, and at
, present under discussion, he has already
made record. Mr.. Grain made passing
q, compliment to Mr.. Culberson, which was
taken merely as an intimation that while
he would not waste his time on small fish,
, such as he had mentioned earlier in his
speech, he would not refuse to cross the
, forensic sword with the distinguished con-
gresham from the Jefferson district.
Par parenthesis, it may be, he remarked,
that should such a debate be made, it
would be worth travelling an hundred miles
to hear.
The moral phase was next taken up by
| Mr.. Grain in the course of his
argument, and here he was brilliant.
Talk about lashing tongue
William Henry Grain has one and knows
exactly how to use it.
"Politics," they say, have nothing to do
= with this question; it is purely moral
, question. That must be SO, because they
say we are all advocates of the devil
Politics cut larger sphere in this question
, than in any one that has ever been pre-
scented before the people. The speaker
, then read from a wo=k "One Hundred
Years of Temperance" a book that was
= issued in support of the temperance
cause. His object was to retute the
y charge that drunkenness was on the in
! crease, and he did so successfully, if the au-
thority of the book is admitted. 1t can
hardly be denied, inasmuch as it
has already been pronounced an authority.